NOVAdance 2026 is seeking to set a new fundraising record this Saturday and assist hundreds of families who have children battling pediatric cancer.
The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation first brought the organization to campus in 2013. The goal? Raise $20,000 and have 350 participants.
13 years later, NOVAdance 2026 is aiming to raise $800,000 and is capping its year-long fundraising efforts this Sunday.
Since 2023, NOVAdance has been raising approximately $100,000 more each year.
NOVAdance 2026 is led by Co-Executive Directors, Annie O’Brien and Grant LeMay. In agreement with the B+ Foundation and their advisors, the team solidified their fundraising goal to work to surpass last year’s $708,269.10 shortly after beginning their leadership in April.
“[Setting the goal] was like order one of business,” O’Brien said. “We were just given the title of CED and we sat down and we were like, we have to. I think it was something that we both felt really strongly about because it seemed like everyone on campus would be wondering about it already.”
The Director Team revealed their goal during the first NOVAdance Committee Meeting in August. They utilized the “8” as a symbol of motivation throughout the year.
“One of our big themes throughout the year is believe in the work you’re going to do, believe in the people around you, the rest will come,” LeMay said. “And we replaced the “B” in “Believe” with an eight, which was so corny and cheesy, but we loved it.”
The fundraising goal was shared with both Engagement Coordinators and Sidekicks at their first meetings last semester. In an effort to raise more awareness about their goal, NOVAdance held the “$8 in a Day” campaign in January.
“The goal of that was to raise a little bit of money, but also to make sure that everyone on this campus knows that we’re going for $800,000,” LeMay said. “So that was just asking people to raise $8 and then give the awareness of what our goal is.”
In addition to consistent fundraising, the “Email Mania” campaign held in the fall was one of the most highly successful efforts of the year.
“It’s our first huge push,” O’Brien said. “And it’s kind of a really interesting way to teach people how to fundraise and the effectiveness of emails. So people kind of really came into their own. I think we sent something like 4,000 emails that day.”
The spring’s most successful campaign was UDance Day. Held as a friendly competition between University of Delaware’s program, each university sought to raise $100,000 in 24 hours. After defeating UDance, NOVAdance gained an additional $10,000 donation from their competitor.
“We had a record-breaking UDance Day this year in February,” LeMay said. “People really bought into this competition and we were able to raise $120,000 in one day, which I think was the most in NOVAdance history besides the Day Of.”
Outreach efforts will continue throughout this week as the NOVAdance team approaches their biggest fundraising day of the year: The Day Of.
“Right now, our totals are trending similarly to where we were at this point last year, so we know it’s going to take a major push down the stretch,” Finance Committee Chair Aadi Sharma said. “That said, the momentum we’re seeing feels even stronger than last year.”
During the Day Of, The NOVAdance Committee Finance Team will be responsible for monitoring all donations and tracking financial totals for the 12-hour duration.
“Some of our biggest fundraising hours include Power Hour and Lip Sync Hour,” Finance Committee member Emily Daiuto said. “The main focus of these hours is getting everyone to fundraise for their organizations and favorite performances.”
Following the 12-hour mark, NOVAdance committee members will gather on stage and reveal the grand fundraising total to the campus community.
“ [Reaching the goal] requires other people to take that step and make that choice and say, I want to make a difference,” O’Brien said. “I believe I can make a difference. And the idea that there would be enough people to do that, that would reach $800,000 would just be, I think, special beyond words.”
